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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26307607">the legend of asami</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/paii/pseuds/paii'>paii</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Asami has anxiety, Asami hates being the avatar, But only if I have the patience, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Korra has issues with her pride, Korra swears a lot, Lin has the hugest crush on Kya but she'll never admit it, Multi, Or will she?, Original character for comedic relief, Slow Burn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 10:13:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,436</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26307607</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/paii/pseuds/paii</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>at 18, asami's father decides it's time for the world to meet the next avatar.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Korra/Asami Sato, Lin Beifong/Kya II</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>44</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. avatar asami</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=the+saturn+gang">the saturn gang</a>.</li>



    </ul><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>asami's father decides it's time for the world to meet their avatar.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“asami, my beloved daughter, the heir to future industries, is the avatar.” the words made asami’s heart race as she plastered on an award-winning smile as a hush fell over the crowd. cameras began flashing, and asami did her best not to flinch, to hide behind her father as she might have when she was younger. but, she didn’t. instead, her father stepped away from the podium, offering her a tight, not-so-reassuring smile. asami sucked in a deep breath and stepped up to the podium, her hands clasped tightly behind her back. </p><p>“good evening citizens of republic city and anyone else listening,” asami began, quickly finding the familiar rhythm of speaking. “as you just heard from my father, i am the avatar. i am honored to begin serving you in as many ways i can. i’m still a trainee in many ways, but i am already excited,” she said with a whole lot of fake enthusiasm. she paused, letting her eyes travel over the wide eyed faces in the crowd. “thank you for your time and understanding,” she finished, waving kindly and pulling on her best smile as she took a step back. as her eyes slid confidently across the crowd, she faltered when she saw several hands pop up. she glanced back at her father who nodded quickly, waving her to step forward again. </p><p>“right, questions. uhm, please,” she said, motioning to a tall brunette who had his hand raised the highest. </p><p>“asami, how can you be the avatar? according to the avatar cycle,  the next avatar would be a waterbender, but neither of your parents are of water tribe descent,” he spoke rapidly, trying to catch asami and her father in a lie. </p><p>“this isn’t something we have fully been able to answer ourselves, actually. while the white lotus searched the tribes for the avatar, i began bending fire, air, and earth all at a young age,” she paused, and gestured to tenzin who stood off to her left. “master tenzin believes that aang may have somehow altered the avatar cycle by being in the iceberg for a century,” asami explained calmly.</p><p>“so you’re blaming avatar aang?” the reported asked quickly before asami could pick someone else to speak.</p><p>asami wanted to roll her eyes, but she just smiled thinly. “no, this isn’t anyones’ fault. aang was a great avatar and a great person, and i can only hope to be half as good as him,” she said, batting her eyes a few times as the reporter dropped his hand and nodded a little, a stupid dreamy smile on his face. that always worked. </p><p>tenzin stepped forward then when another twenty hands went up in the air. asami stepped off to the side a bit, glancing at tenzin. </p><p>“avatar asami is a wonderful bender and we have no doubt she will do great things. she trained long and hard to learn the ways of the air nomads, and i’m sure avatar aang would have been proud of her,” tenzin spoke, and thankfully, people seemed to accept what he said easily. “the reason we delayed revealing the identity of the avatar is simply because we were perplexed as to how a firebender became the avatar after an airbender, but there aren’t a lot of ways we can answer that question, so we stopped trying.” he stopped for a moment, letting his words remain, before he continued. </p><p>“avatar asami and i will leave first thing in the morning to the south pole where she will train with tonraq, senna, and my mother. please be patient and understand that it takes time to master a new element. thank you,” he said, stepping back from the podium. </p><p>hiroshi stepped up beside asami, resting his hand on her shoulder all while locking his eyes on the crowd and beginning to wave. asami swallowed as cameras began to flash again, so she mimicked her father and waved as well. her stomach was rolling and uncertainty washed over her. she hoped she didn’t look green in the photos. </p><p> </p><p>korra’s mouth hung open as she looked accusingly between her parents, blinking as if she had something in her eyes. “what the hell does that mean? you’re training the avatar?!” she finally said loudly, nearly yelling over the end of the radio broadcast even though it was quiet. </p><p>senna reached out and flipped off the radio, glancing at tonraq. “yes, sweetie, we are. tenzin asked us a few months ago,” she said softly, smiling at korra and hoping she wasn’t going to explode over this. </p><p>“i can’t believe this!” korra groaned, standing up so fast that her chair fell back behind her. tonraq let out a heavy sigh. “korra--” “no! dad, this is insane! she should go to the northern tribe! i don’t want some prissy capitalist invading our tribe!” korra said, glaring at her father. </p><p>“korra, this isn’t about the tribes or future industries. this is just about training the avatar so she’ll be able to do her duty,” tonraq explained calmly, eating his food as if they weren’t in the middle of an argument. senna looked back and forth between tonraq and korra, feeling the tension rising in the room. </p><p>“but there are waterbenders in republic city! she can learn there!” korra complained, crossing her arms over her chest as she stuck out her bottom lip in a pout. </p><p>“avatar asami tried to learn waterbending in republic city, but she couldn’t. tonraq, tenzin, and i all agree that the best way for her to learn is to travel to our tribe and train with us,” senna spoke before tonraq could, shooting her husband a look. “honey, it’s just the avatar and tenzin. considering how fast she picked up the other elements, i’m sure she won’t be here long!” she added, but by the time she finished speaking, korra was already storming out of the room. </p><p>it was practically a blizzard outside, but korra hardly noticed. she let out a sharp whistle without stopping, and in a matter of moments, naga was bounding towards her. </p><p>“naga!” korra exclaimed, holding her arms out to give her huge polar bear dog a hug, though she promptly fell on her ass as naga toppled her over and covered her face in licks. “naga, bad girl!” korra mumbled between loud laughs, eventually pushing naga away. “c’mon, girl. let’s go for a ride. i gotta get out of here.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. the equalists</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>asami gets to know the eqaulists, reluctantly</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>for the saturn gang, as always &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“god, that was a nightmare,” asami mumbled under her breath as she jumped off of oogi, tenzin’s flying bison. she twisted her wrist sharply before hitting the ground, creating a cushion of air to soften her landing. she brushed her hair back over her shoulders, letting out a sigh as tenzin jumped off oogi as well. </p><p>“actually, it went pretty well. you already have a good reputation, asami. people will trust you and respect you,” tenzin said softly, resting his hand on her shoulder just as her father did not too long ago. except tenzin’s hand felt a lot more comforting. “relax. you’re much too tense,” he added after a silent moment, pulling away and moving to stand in front of her. </p><p>“are you sure you don’t want your father to come as well?” he asked, and asami groaned quietly. </p><p>“i’m 100 percent sure, tenzin. i need the time away from him,” she replied. tenzin nodded, running his hand thoughtful over his beard. </p><p>“i still need to do some packing, and i need to make some final arrangements with the air acolytes,” tenzin spoke, and asami nodded. </p><p>“i need to pack a few more things, too. just pick me up at the dock in the morning,” she said, smiling and waving at tenzin as she started to back away. after tenzin took off on oogi towards the air temple, asami turned on her heel and began jogging down the street, a grin on her face. she’d already packed and stashed her bag on oogi, so there was no need for her to go home tonight.</p><p>sure, asami loved her dad. they had a pretty good relationship. but when asami told hiroshi that she wanted to spend some time in the southern water tribe on her own, he hadn’t taken that well. there was also the overwhelming pressure that rested on asami’s shoulders thanks to future industries, but recently, she tried not to think about that.<br/>
she finally got to her motorcycle, parked along the street in front of a small market. she threw her leg over the seat, pushing up the kickstand with her foot as she shoved the key in the ignition and revved the engine. she loved driving, and when she didn’t want to take out her flashy sato-mobile, her bike was the next best thing.</p><p>since there really wasn’t anyone else on the street right now, asami kicked out her right leg behind her, shooting a short tunnel of air that aided her acceleration as she sped down the streets. </p><p>as she drove, asami started to lose herself in her thoughts. she still didn’t understand why she couldn’t bend water at all; she’d been trying for practically her whole life. the other elements came so easily to her that bending each of them just felt natural. but no matter what technique or pose she tried, she just couldn’t bend water! she had no idea how training in the southern tribe would help, but she just really hoped it did. not to mention she still hasn’t been able to go into the avatar state or contact her past lives, which she attempted frequently. tenzin kept telling her not to worry so much, but how could she not? she was 18 now. she was -</p><p>suddenly, there was a guy rushing into the street. asami gasped loudly, yanking hard on the brake and trying to steer out of the way, but she still rammed into the guy before she was able to stop. “oh, shit!” she exclaimed, quickly slipping off the bike and rushing to him. </p><p>“oh no, i’m so sorry! i didn’t see you!” asami called as she jogged over to him, watching him with worry tightening her eyes. she couldn’t even pay attention while she was driving.</p><p>“how could you not see me?” the guy grumbled, rubbing the back of his head with his eyes downcast. “i mean, i was ju-” he trailed off, stuttering a bit as he looked up, meeting asami’s eyes. </p><p>“are you okay? did i hurt you?” asami asked frantically, reaching out to wrap an arm around his back to help him stand. “i am such an idiot. i probably shouldn’t be thinking so hard while driving,” she added, trying to ignore the way the guy’s face turned bright red as she kept her arm around him to keep him steady. </p><p>“don’t worry, i’m fine,” he replied after a moment, brushing off his shirt. asami pulled her arms away, letting out a heavy breath. “really, don’t worry about it. i mean… you’re the avatar, right?” he added, meeting asami’s eyes again. </p><p>asami held back another sigh, nodding a little. the news travelled fast. “yeah, that’s me,” she replied somewhat enthusiastically, but she really didn’t have it in her. “i’m asami. nice to meet you, and sorry for running you over,” she said softly, holding her hand out with a small smile. </p><p>the guy blinked, looking awestruck. “i’m mako,” he replied after a moment of staring, reaching out to shake asami’s hand gently, as if she would break. </p><p>“mako,” asami repeated as she released mako’s hand, moving to brush her hair out of her face and over her shoulder. a breeze was picking up, blowing her hair around and sending goosebumps flying over her skin. “uh, not to be nosy, but why exactly were you running into the street?” she asked after a moment of silence, during which mako just stared at her with flushed cheeks.</p><p>mako blinked, and slowly, his eyes grew frantic. “oh, crap, i almost forgot,” he muttered, shaking his head and bringing his hand up to his face, pinching the bridge of his nose as he squeezed his eyes shut momentarily. “my brother. he got caught up in some gang activity. i was trying to find him before he does anything stupid.”</p><p>asami nodded, pursing her lips. her father had talked a lot of shit about the gangs that existed throughout republic city, mainly because a number of them had broken into future industries warehouses several times. </p><p>“i’ll help you find him. do you have any leads?” she spoke without hesitation, resting one hand on her hip and shifting her weight around, trying to look somewhat professional, like she knew what she was doing. despite her general doubts about being the avatar, she still really wanted to help people whenever she could.</p><p>and, well… mako was pretty cute. even if he did stare at asami like she was a delicate princess.</p><p>“oh- oh, that’s really sweet of you, but you don’t have to help,” mako said hesitantly, his eyes still frantic but he seemed like he didn’t really want to say no. </p><p>“mako, please. let me help,” asami spoke up before mako could run off. “i’m the avatar, remember? this is kinda my job,” she added, trying to lighten the mood a bit. </p><p>mako was silent for a moment, his shoulders slouching a bit. he nodded after a moment, looking like he was trying to clear his head. “okay. okay, thank you,” he said softly, the words a bit too tender and genuine for asami. “i was heading to their hideout, off seventh and main,” he added, and asami nodded. </p><p>“hop on,” she said, stepping back to her bike and straddling the seat. there was just enough room for mako to fit on the seat right against asami, but as he slipped on, he seemed to try and keep some space between them. at least he was a gentleman. “hold on,” asami added, revving the engine a few times before she released the brake. she dropped her hand to her side, shooting out a column of air as she accelerated. </p><p>as they approached speeds far greater than the legal limit, mako wrapped his arms around asami’s waist. he was warm, and she could feel the ripple of his muscles under the layers of clothes, but she refused to focus on that. now was absolutely not the time to think about how comfortable it would be to lean back against - shit. asami really had a problem with getting lost in her thoughts. </p><p>“turn left up ahead! we should park out back so we’re not spotted,” mako called from behind, and asami nodded a bit, sharply raising her arm to create a ramp to aid her turn. </p><p>the further they drove, the more industrial and abandoned the buildings looked. less residential suites and more construction zones. </p><p>“pull up here, we can get there on foot from here,” mako spoke again. asami braked as smoothly as she could, stopping against a curb. she let mako slip off first, and she really really hated how cold she felt when he did. </p><p>asami glanced around the empty street as she stepped off the bike, the setting sun casting a pretty glow over the city. “which building are they in?” she asked, eyeing one a few blocks away that looked somewhat suspicious. </p><p>“it’s down here,” mako replied, his voice hushed. “stay low. they probably have someone guarding both of the entrances,” he added as they took off, settling into a quick jog. “there,” mako murmured after a few moments, nodding to the building asami had spotted before. as he had suspected, a buff looking man stood outside the back entrance, his hands clasped behind his back.</p><p>they were close enough to attack when asami heard an engine roar to life. headlights blinded both her and mako, causing to stop dead in their tracks as a sato-mobile raced out of the alleyway on the other side of the building. the man guarding the exit took off in a sprint after the car, and suddenly, the back of the vehicle opened, revealing a few men bound and gagged. someone helped the guard get in, but suddenly, mako was running after them, his fists ablaze. </p><p>he threw two punches, fire flying towards the vehicle but the doors slammed shut before anything could happen. “that was him!” he yelled back at asami, who was already catching up. she stomped her food down hard, the road cracking beneath her heel. she thrust her hands out, her palms facing the vehicle, sending the road in a wave-like motion in an attempt to flip the vehicle. it only slowed them down as mako continued to firebend. </p><p>at this point, the sato-mobile was gaining more and more distance, and asami cursed. “keep following it, i’ll get my bike,” she called to mako, turning on her heel and sprinting back the way they came. she reached her bike fast, though she panted heavily as she kick-started the engine and sped off. this time, she didn’t hold back when she accelerated, using both her hand and her foot to create a column of air. she reached mako in a matter of seconds, but the sato-mobile was nowhere to be found. </p><p>asami only slowed a little, enough to grab mako and help him on. “they turned right up ahead!” he yelled, and asami accelerated once more. she turned where he directed, squinting her eyes when she didn’t see the car. </p><p>“crap!” mako groaned. asami didn’t respond, only slowing down so she could glance down all the alleyways in hopes of spotting the car. she glanced up, seeing that they were approaching one of the tallest buildings in the city. she raced up to the side of it, braking hard. “what are you doing?” mako asked. “they’re getting away!” </p><p>“i’m going to get to the roof - i should be able to spot them from up there!” asami replied as she got off the bike. she glanced up at the building, a pit forming in her stomach. </p><p>“what?! that’s crazy! how are you planning on getting up there?” mako asked incredulously. asami didn’t reply. </p><p>she took in a deep breath before she jumped, thrusting her arms up and landing hard on the road as it raced to follow her. she moved her arms in a windmill motion, causing the road and rocks below her to act as an elevator. as she neared the top of the building, she jumped once more, her fists clenched at her side as fire shot out from her knuckles. she had better control than she expected, reaching the roof easily. she ducked as she landed, rolling twice before she got to her feet. she faced the rock that had got her up here, her hand shooting out as if slicing off a chunk of it, which she did. she landed it in the middle of the rooftop and jumped to the top of it; now, she could see all around the building easily. </p><p>she scanned the roads, eyes narrowed as she tried to spot the vehicle. her shoulders slumped after a few moments, about to call it quits when the glare of a headlight caught her eye. she whipped around, facing the opposite direction from where she had come from, squinting. about two miles away, she spotted it, it’s back doors open but facing away from her. she could barely make out what was happening, but she saw the driver and someone in the passenger seat get out, moving to the back. she couldn’t see what they were doing until they walked towards the only building over there; an old amphitheater. they were dragging people after them, yanking open the door and throwing them inside before they walked in as well. </p><p>asami hopped off the rock, jogging to the side of the building. mako was staring up and spotted her. “i found them!” she called, then took a few steps back. then, she ran at the edge, jumping as if she wasn’t afraid. she was. </p><p>she held her arms out, releasing short bursts of air before she airbended a cushion for her fall. her heart was pounding, probably loud enough for mako to hear, but she tried to ignore that. </p><p>“they’re a few miles out, at the old theater,” asami spoke quickly, jogging to mako and her bike. she met his eyes, wide and bewildered. “what?” she asked, itching to find out what was going on at the theater. </p><p>“that was incredible!” mako said, laughing breathlessly. he eyed the rock-elevator asami had created, and she turned back towards it. she raised her hands, palms facing the ground, before pushing them down slowly, causing the rock to sink back into the ground. it somewhat resembled a road still. </p><p>“we should go,” asami said then, getting back on her bike. mako hopped on as well, clearly understanding that now was not the time to complement that wild series of events. </p><p>-</p><p>they reached the theater in a matter of minutes, thanks to asami’s most likely reckless speeding. they hopped off the bike, crouching as they jogged towards the back of the building. someone stood outside again, but they didn’t waste anymore time. </p><p>mako ran at him from the side, surprising the guy so much he almost screamed before mako slapped his hand over his mouth with one hand, the other grabbing his collar and slamming him against the wall. asami approached, lighting a fire in her palm as she glared at the man. </p><p>“where did they take the people from this truck?” mako asked, slowly removing his hand so he could speak.</p><p>“i’m not tellin’ you benders anything,” the man hissed back, squirming in an attempt to get away. asami shifted, clenching her right hand into a fist, fire coming out like it was a dagger. she got close, holding it to his throat. </p><p>“you should probably reconsider,” asami murmured, the man slowly beginning to sweat. </p><p>“th-they took them all inside!” he replied when asami pressed closer, his breathing coming rapidly. “they’re probably all on stage now!”</p><p>“why? who abducted them?” asami asked, watching the man gulp nervously. </p><p>“amon took them! he wants to make an example of the harm benders have caused, so he’s going to take away their bending!” he spit out, seemingly terrified. asami blinked - someone was going to take away people’s bending?</p><p>“what? that’s impossible,” mako retorted, looking like he was about to punch this guy. asami stepped away, shaking her head when mako glanced at her.<br/>
“we’ve got to get in there,” she said, thankful that mako listened to her and dropped the guy. asami stomped on the ground, twisting her arm. a cylinder of rock wrapped around the man’s chest, locking him to the ground but not hurting him. “stay put and stay quiet,” she ordered, not that she believed he’d listen. she was about to run into the building when mako stopped her.</p><p>“wait - after your announcement today, people might recognize you,” he said quickly, and asami grunted, nodding. “here, wrap this around your head,” he suggested, unwinding a red scarf that he wore and looping it around asami’s neck, then once around her head. </p><p>“uh- thanks,” asami murmured. she blinked, clearing her mind before she rushed inside, glancing around to make sure the hallway was empty before taking off down one of the hallways. mako followed closely, both of them moving quickly but trying to stay quiet. asami could hear a muffled voice coming from the main room, and only sped up as it got louder. finally, they stood at a big opening to the theater. asami looked around, estimating that probably 300 people were there. no one paid attention to them as they walked in, but asami hardly paid attention either. </p><p>her eyes locked on the man standing on stage, a dull mask hiding his face. he held a microphone to his mouth, and he spoke with a credibility that made asami’s blood run cold. </p><p>“the era of benders is over. they have oppressed non-benders for the last time,” he spoke calmly, entrancing each and every member of the audience. asami and mako made their way closer to the stage, thankfully still not drawing any attention.</p><p>“this evening, shady shin gathered his gang and began to plot more ways to ruin the lives of non-benders, to take away what little we have,” amon continued, guestring to the side where a man led a group out on stage. mako tensed up. asami glanced at him, seeing his eyes were locked on one of the men in the group. asami looked back, guessing that the green-eyed man was his brother. mako took a step forward, but asami grabbed his arm, stopping him. </p><p>“don’t. it’s too crowded,” she whispered, her eyes shifting back to amon. </p><p>“shady shin’s reign is no more,” he spoke ominously, waving for the man to bring shin to him. asami’s heart raced as shin was shoved down to his knees in front of amon; could he really take away bending? that had to be impossible. </p><p>asami and mako, and the rest of the crowd, watched silently as amon walked towards shin. shin began screaming, trying to get away, but his attempts were feeble. amon grasped shin’s head, his four fingers pressed against the back and his thumb resting on shin’s temple. shin pleaded, but suddenly he stopped, his eyes rolling back in his head, and then, he collapsed.<br/>
it was silent for several long moments before shin came too, his eyes wide. he struggled to his feet, and someone took off his bindings. shin was disoriented, but he ran at amon, throwing a fist but… but there was no fire. </p><p>mako turned to asami, his eyes wide. “we have to get bolin out of there,” he said under his breath. asami nodded, feeling her heart pounding still. she had to figure something out. </p><p>“i’ll create some sort of diversion to make everyone have to leave. you be ready to grab bolin and run,” asami said quietly, looking around to make sure no one was catching on. amon was already motioning for the next bender to be brought to him, but thankfully, bolin was the last in line. mako nodded, and asami backed away, only getting a few looks as she exited the theater. </p><p>as she looked around the hallways, she saw a number of pipes running through the building. another reason she desperately needed to learn waterbending. she headed down one of the hallways, looking for a tank or something that the pipes would lead to. </p><p>finally, she found it. she stood in front of the tank, planting her feet and squatting just a bit as she reached her arms out, eyes narrowing as she focused. with her hands facing the tank, she squeezed, the metal tank contracting. her time training with lin beifong was possibly her favorite. she kept squeezing her hands, wincing quietly as the tank began to groan as it contracted further. soon enough, water began bursting from the pipe, spilling out onto the floor. she stepped forward, punching forward with her fist and sending a flaming ball through the opening. she could hear confused gasps coming from the theater, so she assumed her plan was working. she shot another burst of fire through the tank, this time hearing people screaming. </p><p>asami ran off, back towards the theater right as people began pouring out, running to the exits. the theater was filled with thick smoke, and asami struggled to push through the frantic crowd. she glanced up to the stage, thankfully not seeing amon, but watching as mako jumped up, rushing to bolin who was still bound and blindfolded. asami broke into a run as two figures appeared, looking like steam-punk characters with some freaky looking gloves. asami thrust her hand out, a burst of air shoving the figures away from mako and bolin. they were stunned just long enough for asami to leap onto the stage as mako worked on untying bolin. </p><p>“mako! i’m so happy you found me!” bolin gasped out, pulling his brother into a tight hug which made mako grunt. mako slapped bolin on the back a few times before they separated. </p><p>“guys, now’s not the time,” asami warned, stopping mako from probably launching into a lecture. “let’s get out of here, now,” she added as the two steam-punk figures started standing, and she could hear the pounding of footsteps approaching. “follow me.” she shot another burst of air out, knocking the two down once again, but she guessed they wouldn’t be down as long this time. she jumped off the stage, checking to make sure mako and bolin were following her as she sprinted out of the room. she backtracked down the hallway, racing towards the back exit they’d come in through, thankful that the hallway was clear. </p><p>at some point, mako had wound up in front of asami, and he push open the door. mako groaned as electricity sparked off of him, falling back. asami caught him, peeking around him, seeing at least four steam-punk freaks wielding sparking gloves. </p><p>“hold him,” asami grunted, thrusting mako into bolin’s arms as she stepped around him, airbending a huge gust of wind to shove them back. suddenly, rocks were being thrown at them, and asami glanced back to see bolin had set a stunned mako down against the wall and was earthbending. “nice,” she commented with a grin, nodding towards bolin who grinned back. </p><p>this group seemed to recover faster, all four of them already on their feet, sparking gloves at the ready. asami kicked out her foot, sending flames their way, though they ducked, skillfully dodging the fire. </p><p>as they ducked, bolin slammed his fists down on the ground, sending a wave of rocks and knocking all four of the attackers to the ground. </p><p>“you’re the avatar?” bolin asked, turning to grab mako and carry him over his shoulders. one of the figures tried to stand, but asami kicked her foot out, fire shooting out and causing him to hit the ground once more. </p><p>“yep,” asami replied shortly. “follow me,” she added, bending a column of earth over the figures to keep them down. she ran back towards her bike, glancing back every once in a while to make sure they weren’t being followed. </p><p>“put me down, bolin,” mako groaned eventually, and they slowed reluctantly. bolin set mako down, and asami realized a bit too late that there was no way they could all get away on her bike. </p><p>“okay. let’s get to the police station. lin should still be there,” asami said, though neither of the brothers seemed excited about that.</p><p>“we just rescued my brother from being abducted for working with a gang, asami, i don’t think we should be appearing at the police station right now,” mako retorted, and bolin nodded a little. </p><p>“he’s right. mako and i don’t have the cleanest records,” bolin added, though he looked significantly more guilty about it than mako did. asami was quiet for a moment, wondering who exactly she’d just saved, but she didn’t dwell on it. nothing was worth the punishment of losing your bending.<br/>
“i know lin. it’ll be fine. but we have to tell her what’s going on. i’m sure you heard something in that truck,” asami replied, glancing at bolin. after a moment, he nodded reluctantly. “c’mon. we’ll jog over there, it’ll be fine,” she added, now looking at mako. </p><p>--</p><p>“we caught fifteen guys working for amon,” lin reported, walking into the bullpen where asami sat with tenzin and her father. she’d just been on the receiving end of a long, ridiculously redundant lecture about how she should’ve asked for help and shouldn’t have even gone near the theater. she didn’t really listen. </p><p>“they’re calling themselves the equalists,” lin added, rolling her eyes. “but they confirmed most of what you and your friend bolin said.” mako and bolin had been lucky enough to leave without too much hassle, and asami had to admit that she was sad to see them go. “but what’s most troubling is that amon now knows your face, asami,” lin said then, her voice a bit tight as she met asami’s eyes. </p><p>“i told you, asami, this was a big mistake!” hiroshi cut in, but asami ignored him.</p><p>“he would’ve found out eventually anyways,” asami said, pulling her hair out of her face and over her shoulders. “he probably knew already, i just attached a face to the name,” she added. </p><p>“asami will be on her way to the tribe with me tomorrow, so they’re attention most likely will not be on the avatar for awhile,” tenzin spoke, which made lin even more tense, as usual. </p><p>“no - there’s no way i’m still going to the tribe after this,” asami spoke up, refusing to let them make this decision for her. “i have to stay and help figure out this equalist thing. they’re not done after tonight's event.”</p><p>“asami, you have to go,” tenzin said quickly. “you need to learn waterbending, and if you stay here, they’ll most certainly be looking for you. this is now a matter of training and your safety.”</p><p>“i agree with tenzin,” lin said, which was enough to quiet asami. “oh, don’t look at me like that,” she added, glaring at tenzin who was staring at her. “you need to train with tonraq and senna, and you need to be safe. which is why i’ll be joining you and tenzin, on the chance that anyone tries to follow.”</p><p>“lin, i don’t think that’s necessary,” tenzin said slowly. </p><p>“cut the garbage, tenzin. you just don’t want me to go because you don’t like me,” lin shot back, and held up her hand when tenzin opened his mouth. “i’m going, you’re going, asami is going, and that’s final,” she stated, pointing at herself, tenzin, and asami before turning on her heel and storming off to her office.</p>
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<a name="section0003"><h2>3. the meeting</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>everyone is complaining</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“i still hate that this is happening,” korra grumbled, helping her mother fold a soft blue blanket and laying it across the bed. “she’s gonna try to bring future industries here, like she has been for years,” she added, resting her hands on her hips as she glared half-heartedly at her mother. she wasn’t really mad, at least not at senna. korra knew she just wanted to help. </p><p>“korra, future industries isn’t going to come up. her father is hardly even involved with the trip, and he’s been the one trying to… expand the company to the tribe,” senna replied calmly, matching korra’s body language before they both ended up laughing softly. </p><p>“i hope you’re right,” korra said after a moment, grimacing a little when her mother pulled her into a tight hug. she sighed, hugging her mom back for a moment. </p><p>“don’t worry so much. we get to train the avatar!” her mom said, pouring buckets of enthusiasm into the words. korra laughed softly, squeezing senna just a bit tighter. </p><p>“knock knock,” a voice spoke outside the hut, making korra squirm out of her mother’s embrace. senna chuckled as korra whipped around, eyes locking with kanni, who stood at the door with a teasing grin. “do i get a hug?” they asked, holding their arms out. </p><p>“you wish,” korra shot back, her lips twisting into a scowl. the room felt tense, but only for seconds. korra and kanni broke into fits of laughter, the mocking anger that filled the atmosphere dissipating. </p><p>“still hosting the avatar, are we?” kanni asked after their laughter subsided, peeking around the room. “really pulling out all the stops. you’re giving her all the warm blankets!” </p><p>“we’re just trying to be hospitable,” senna replied, her tone somewhat reprimanding, but not enough to be forceful. “you two run along. you’re only slowing me down. go train,” she added, waving them off. </p><p>kanni grinned again, turning on their heel and all but sprinting down the snowy hill. korra didn’t run off quite as fast, waving at her mother before following kanni. </p><p>“c’mon, slowpoke. afraid i’ll beat you today?” kanni taunted, already at the base of the hill, their arms raised in a fighting position as if they were about to throw some punches. </p><p>“in your dreams, loser!” korra called, twisting her feet as she ran, creating an icy path she slid down. kanni rolled their eyes, watching korra with an amused smile as they gathered up some snow, turning it to water. </p><p>kanni brought the water to settle around them, poised and ready for an attack. korra reacted, her body instinctively moving, trying to find a weak spot she could exploit. </p><p>without warning, korra shot her arms straight out, then pulled them back to her side, fists clenched. a wall of water rushed behind kanni, the goal clearly to topple them - or maybe drown them. </p><p>kanni shifted, slicing a hole in the rushing water as it surged past them. they gathered all the water before it fell to the ground, quickly sending it back to korra. at the last minute, they tensed, the water turning into a wave of sharp icicles. </p><p>korra grunted, dodging to the side, but kanni redirected the ice, following her. korra got hit by the bulk of them, but threw her arms up, a wall of water catching the rest. korra twisted, the water following her movements, turning into sharp spirals that raced towards kanni. she separated the water into three attacks, the first two successfully knocking kanni back several steps. </p><p>kanni tensed before the last spiral could hit them, their palms out and fingers spreading apart. the water evaporated. </p><p>korra groaned, taking a moment to watch kanni catch their breath. she needed to win this, she needed to settle her nerves and remind herself that she was the best waterbender anyone has seen since katara. at least, until kanni showed up, a runaway from the northern tribe. they hadn’t started out as friends as much as they had rivals, but now, they were almost inseparable. </p><p>korra threw out her arms, fingers pointed before she clenched her fists, sending four sharp spikes of ice racing towards kanni. kanni’s eyes grew wide, then calculating. they stomped down their foot right before the ice came sailing their way, moving their hands dramatically. the snow moved around korra as the ice caught kanni and lifted them up into the air, the snow solidifying and trapping korra. </p><p>they were both silent, clearly contemplating the fact that they had simultaneously won. or more accurately, it was a draw. again. </p><p>the entrapments surrounding the two of them melted, and they both collapsed on the cold ground, panting lightly. they weren’t exactly spent, but they generally chose not to go all out on each other. two visits to katara solidified that agreement. </p><p>“i can’t believe it. no matter what i do, i just can’t beat you!” korra groaned, glaring up at the sky with a pout on her face. </p><p>kanni sighed, figuring this was less about beating them but more about being the best, and maybe something to do with the upcoming guest. “yanno, instead of viewing this as you being too weak to beat me, you can view it like i do.” they paused, letting korra grow impatient. “we’re both strong, korra. the strongest of the tribe -- hell, the strongest of both the tribes. and we got to where we are on our own. well, and thanks to your parents training us, of course,” kanni finally continued, their arms and legs brushing the snow around them, creating a snow angel. </p><p>korra was quiet for a moment, contemplating kanni’s words. “you’re right,” she eventually conceded, shutting her eyes and letting out a deep breath. she needed to stop being so pessimistic. katara said it would wear her out even more. </p><p>“korra! kanni! the avatar is here!” tonraq yelled from the top of the hill. neither of them moved or responded. “come and greet our guests or i’ll make you watch the kids.” he called after a moment, the threat clear in his words. korra and kanni were not the best babysitters in the tribe. </p><p>they got on their feet quickly after that, locking eyes. “don’t stress. you’ve heard katara’s stories. it’s just the avatar. she doesn’t even know how to waterbend,” kanni spoke, trying to calm korra down. they snickered a little at their final words, and korra laughed along. </p><p>“let’s go meet the avatar,” korra said. </p><p>--</p><p>asami slipped off of oogi, her bag looped around her shoulder, landing in the soft snow without much difficulty. she was surprised by the reception, or the lack thereof. there was only a handful of people awaiting their arrival, but asami was fine with that, grateful even.</p><p>she recognized katara at once - she’d met her once before, and seeing her now filled her with warmth. a woman stood at her side, and asami assumed that was her daughter, kya - she could see the resemblence. two people stood beside them: a tall, buff man and a lithe but strong looking woman. tonraq and senna, asami thought. asami was relieved at the kindness and acceptance she found residing in their eyes - she’d feared that she would be met with indifference or be seen as an outsider. </p><p>tenzin tried to help lin off of the bison, only for her to snap at him and jump down on her own. she stood close to asami, assessing their surroundings with her intense cop glare. once she decided there wasn’t a threat present, asami could see the way she changed physically - her shoulders relaxed, the tense line between her eyebrows faded, and as she gazed at their greeters, asami thought she saw something else in her eyes; something warm. asami raised an eyebrow, not used to seeing lin look so sappy. she tried to follow lin’s gaze, which seemed to be set on katara’s daughter. </p><p>asami nudged lin with her elbow, grinning a little as she flicked her eyes back and forth between the two. lin went all stiff again, a scowl pulling on her face. she made some grunting noise under her breath, stalking away from asami before she could say anything. asami giggled under her breath, and heard tenzin chuckle behind him. </p><p>“avatar asami! welcome!” tonraq spoke, his voice deep as he and senna stepped forward. asami bowed formally; her father had spent a great deal of time telling asami that this was not a vacation, but simply a time of training. she wasn’t supposed to get comfortable.  </p><p>“thank you so much for having me,” she spoke as she straightened up, still doing her best to act as professional as possible. “i’m honored to be trained by you both,” she added, watching as two figures started approaching from the crest of a hill. </p><p>asami didn’t focus on them, instead turning to katara as tenzin went to greet his mother and sister, lin now stiffly socializing with tonraq and senna. “master katara, it’s great to see you again,” she said, bowing to katara as well. katara laughed, and despite her age, her eyes gleamed with amusement. “don’t be so formal, avatar asami. relax,” she spoke, and kya laughed as well.</p><p>the introductions were not short; asami spent her time getting to know everyone right away, obviously not intending to follow through with her father’s ideal plan. it was hard not to fall in love with these people, so kind and compassionate compared to the business men she was typically surrounded by. </p><p>at some point, the entirety of the tribe seemed to join them. thankfully, she didn’t introduce herself to each of them, just the people that tenzin and lin spoke to. </p><p>now, she found herself on the outskirts of the group, spectating now more than interacting. she needed a moment to breathe. movement caught her eye, and she spotted the two figures from earlier appear again, approaching asami with more resigned expressions than the surrounding group. </p><p>“avatar asami, it’s an honor to meet you,” the shorter one spoke, her blue gaze seeming to say the opposite. her stance was tense, arms crossed over her chest and weight shifted to one side. her hair was pulled back into three ponytails, two framing her face and one sitting at the back of her head. asami tried not to let the scowl on her face bother her. “i’m korra, tonraq and senna’s daughter.” she added, her eyes flicking over to where her parents spoke with tenzin, lin, and kya. </p><p>“i’m kanni,” the other spoke, looking more amused than anything else. they were practically the same height as asami, with deep brown hair in elaborate braids down their back, and blue eyes darker than any she had noticed so far. asami briefly wondered why, exactly, kanni was here - they didn’t seem to be related to korra, but they introduced themselves together. she didn’t speculate too long.</p><p>“it’s great to meet you both,” asami replied with a small smile. she was trying to understand the slight hostility she felt radiating from the two when she heard someone approach from behind her.</p><p>“asami! let me show you to your room,” senna spoke from behind her, seeming like she was trying to pull asami away from korra and kanni, especially based on the glare she shot at her daughter. </p><p>so, maybe asami wasn’t totally welcome. </p><p>--</p><p>“you want to move like the water,” senna spoke calmly, though asami felt like she was about to explode. she wasn’t usually so impatient, but no matter what instruction she was given, she just couldn’t waterbend. </p><p>“don’t think of the water as a separate element. the water is a part of you, a part of everything in this world,” katara spoke up, sitting in the snow a few feet away beside tenzin, looking content even though she must have been freezing. asami was. </p><p>“try the exercise again,” senna suggested, turning towards the small pond to demonstrate. she moved her arms out slowly and smoothly, the water in the pond responding to her movements, back and forth, before settling. </p><p>asami nodded, her forehead pinching with concentration. she planted her feet on the ground, sliding her left leg back just a tad to even out her weight. she raised her arms, taking in a deep breath as she focused on the pond, moving her arms forwards and backwards, willing the water to respond. </p><p>it didn’t. asami couldn’t stop herself from letting out a frustrated groan, dropping her arms to her side. “why can’t i waterbend?” she asked no one in particular, raking her hands through her hair, wishing she had chosen a coat with a hood. </p><p>katara laughed softly, causing asami to look over at her, an eyebrow raised. “let’s take a break. asami, come sit with me,” she spoke, her old voice soothing asami more than anything. tenzin rested a hand on his mothers shoulder briefly before turning to leave, and senna moved to squeeze asami’s shoulders, then following tenzin out of the snowy clearing and up to the row of huts a few yards away. </p><p>“it’s frustrating, isn’t it?” katara asked as asami moved to her side, stomping on the ground to create a makeshift sitting place for herself. she sat, bending her knees and hugging them to her chest, nodding glumly. </p><p>“i feel so useless,” asami mumbled, her green eyes watching as her breath came out in puffs of white. </p><p>“you know, i learned waterbending with aang,” katara said then, piquing asami’s interest enough to get her to sit up a little, gazing at her curiously. “he picked it up almost as easily as i did,” she added, making asami pout a little. katara laughed again. “yes, waterbending was easy for aang. earthbending, however, was not so much.” she paused, watching as asami grew more interested, lowering her knees so she could see katara clearly. </p><p>“honestly, i had doubts that toph was going to be able to teach him. she was so stubborn and tough, and he was so peaceful and aloof. i couldn’t see how that combination could result in anything good,” katara said, moving her eyes to gaze off at the horizon as if she could see the memories somewhere out there. “it took aang several weeks to ever earthbend. but once he moved just one rock, he became a natural. he and toph did earthbending moves that made ozai’s army tremble as we traveled the world…” she trailed off, a smile on her lips. </p><p>asami, still impatient, spoke up. “but how did he do it? how did he go from being unable to earthbend to actually doing it?” she asked desperately, embarrassed by her tone but just not able to hide it anymore. she’d seen lin earlier after she’d radioed republic city, and by the looks of her face, she knew that the situation with the equalists was getting worse. she had to master waterbending and deal with them before more people got hurt. </p><p>katara looked back at asami, her brows drawn in sympathy. “toph told aang that in order to ever be able to earthbend, he had to think like an earthbender. think about how that must have been for an airbender,” she said softly. </p><p>asami nodded, her eyes dropping to the snow below her as she thought about it. learning earthbending and airbending had been incredibly easy for her. she couldn’t even remember a time when she couldn’t bend earth or air, and fire was her natural element. but, maybe like aang, she needed to think like a waterbender instead. but how was she supposed to do that?</p><p>asami was about to ask when she glanced back at katara, and seeing her tired eyes, she decided against it. “thank you, katara,” asami said softly, smiling genuinely at her. katara smiled back and stood slowly, holding her arm out to asami with a playful grin. asami laughed, taking katara’s arm and walking with her back to her home. </p><p>-- </p><p>asami closed her eyes, visualizing senna’s movements, mimicking them as best she could. they had trained for a few hours after her talk with katara, but soon called it a night. but asami couldn’t sleep. she needed to learn waterbending, and there wasn’t a lot of time to spare. </p><p>after ten more minutes of trying senna’s move with zero improvement, asami groaned, falling back into the snow, gazing up at the night sky with a frown. “i’m the worst avatar in the world,” she muttered, too wrapped up in her own thoughts to hear the sound of footsteps approaching. </p><p>“you know, it took avatar aang weeks to learn earthbending,” a voice spoke, and asami glanced to her side, seeing korra standing nearby with a small grin. asami blinked, blushing slightly as she recognized that korra had seen her rather immature pouting. she cleared her throat, pushing herself off the ground and wiping the snow from her clothes. </p><p>“i know. katara told me about it earlier,” asami mumbled, unable to reign in her dejection. korra chuckled, hearing asami’s annoyed tone, taking a few more steps forward before folding her legs beneath her, sitting a few feet away. asami glanced at her again, wondering why she’d come. she gazed at her in the dim light of the moon, biting her lip. korra didn’t say anything more, though, leaving asami to fill the silence. </p><p>“it’s just annoying. i’ve been able to bend the other elements my whole life. how am i supposed to bring balance to the world if i can’t bend one stupid element?” she asked, exasperated. she felt korra shift, the air growing tense. </p><p>“water is not a stupid element,” korra grunted, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest. “if anything, water is the most natural of all elements. water is everywhere; in the clouds, the ground, in us,” she went on, her blue eyes narrowed. asami listened, eventually pulling herself into a sitting position. she nodded a little, wiping her hands over her face tiredly. </p><p>“thanks for the science lesson, but if actual training won’t help, i don’t think that will, either,” asami mumbled, sighing. “i just gotta keep at it until something clicks.” </p><p>korra grunted and stood suddenly, asami shifting her eyes to watch her. “whatever. i was just trying to help, but apparently you don’t even want that. good luck,” she said sharply, turning on her heel and walking off. </p><p>asami gazed after her, her mouth hanging open in shock. damn, how selfish could korra be, she wondered, shaking her head. this wasn’t about her. all asami was trying to do was learn how to be the hero destiny had set her up to be, and apparently, that was a crime. she huffed angrily and stood, moving back into senna’s position and focusing once again. she’d get it eventually, she just had to keep trying.</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. problems</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>the rift between asami and korra grows as tensions in republic city threaten everyone</p>
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    <p>kanni landed on the ground heavily, groaning as korra sent another crashing wave of water their way. they shifted, rolling onto their back and swinging out their legs, taking control of the water and using it to help gain momentum so kanni could flip to their feet. they held the water around them, meeting korra’s eyes as they panted. korra pouted, her chest heaving, but she wasn’t done yet. </p><p>korra stomped her foot into the ground, turning the packed snow into ice, right under kanni’s feet. kanni stumbled, but determined not to fall on their ass again, they twisted their ankles, letting the ice harden and travel half way up their calves, securing them in place. they smirked, shooting out one arm and flicking their wrist to send a monstrous amount of water korra’s way. </p><p>korra grunted, getting sprayed by a good majority of it before she thrust her hands out to her sides, stopping the water in midair. </p><p>“korra, let’s just call it,” kanni groaned, resting their hands on their hips. “what the hell is this about? you never go this rough,” they added before korra could try and continue their mock-fight. korra hesitated, wanting to use her aggression to finally get a victory against kanni, but let out a sigh instead. she let the water fall around her, and kanni turned the ice at their feet to water, bending it into the small pouch they kept at their waist. </p><p>korra slumped onto the ground, burying her head in her hands with an angry groan. “the avatar is a fucking bitch,” she said loudly, causing kanni to raise their eyebrows as they made their way over to korra, sitting beside her. </p><p>the universe must be cruel, because right then, korra looked up, spotting a way-too-perfect head of black hair only a few yards away. thankfully, asami wasn’t looking in their direction; she was facing senna and tonraq who were approaching her, her back to korra and kanni. they watched in silence as asami turned towards them and, along with senna and tonraq, began walking towards the training cove. at first, korra thought she was in the clear, but both her and kanni tensed at the glare asami shot their way. </p><p>“yikes,” kanni whispered, watching as asami and korra’s parents slipped into the cove. tonraq and senna both began demonstrating some basic moves, asami’s back now turned to kanni and korra. korra groaned again, quieter this time, burying her face in her hands once again. </p><p>“that’s gonna come back to bite me in the ass, huh?” she mumbled, and kanni chuckled quietly, patting korra’s back lightly.</p><p>“yeah, it probably will,” kanni replied, unable to really sugarcoat it. </p><p>--</p><p>a soft knock on the door roused asami from her thoughts, and she shifted in the small wooden chair towards the door. “come in,” she called, trying to pour more positivity into the words than she felt. </p><p>“good morning, asami,” senna chimed as she walked into asami’s hut, a smile on her face. asami smiled back, finding senna’s presence easing asami’s worries. </p><p>she hadn’t slept well, especially after her weird fight with korra. did it even classify as a fight? all asami had done was complained about her issues, and korra seemed to take it very personally. she didn’t understand why. </p><p>“you ready for some training?” senna asked, folding her hands delicately in front of her, still beaming. asami nodded, standing from her chair and smoothing out her skirt. </p><p>“yes! hopefully i can make some real progress today,” asami murmured, grabbing her coat and slipping her arms into it as she followed senna out of the hut, shutting the door behind her. </p><p>“let me go find tonraq,” senna spoke, drifting off and walking into another house. asami bit her lip nervously; she hadn’t spoken much to him, and to be honest, he intimidated her a bit. he seemed rather intense, at least compared to senna, and he was just so big. </p><p>she was shaken out of her thoughts when she got to the edge of the hill, looking down at the training area to see that korra and kanni were currently occupying the cove. asami watched in interest for a few moments, thankful neither of them had spotted asami.</p><p>“wow, they’re really going at it,” asami murmured thoughtfully, glancing behind her to see senna and tonraq approaching her. asami once again glanced back at the two in the cove, seeing that korra and kanni had paused. she watched curiously as korra seemed to drop the water around her and sat down. asami grimaced; wasn’t it freezing enough without sitting on the frozen ground? kanni moved to korra’s side, sitting as well. asami turned towards senna and tonraq before korra or kanni could see her.</p><p>“the avatar is a fucking bitch!” korra suddenly spoke, loud enough for asami to hear even yards away. her eyes went wide, her heart stopping briefly before kicking into high gear. is that what korra really though of her, after only two interactions? she glanced up as senna and tonraq finally got to her. she composed herself enough to greet tonraq, nodding as he gestured down to the cove, thus beginning their descent down the hill. </p><p>asami glanced towards kanni and korra, seeing them both watching her, clearly nervous. she narrowed her eyes and tightened her brows, meeting korra’s eyes for several seconds before she looked away, huffing. if that’s how korra felt about her, then, well, the feeling was mutual. </p><p>--</p><p>“lin, how’s the situation with the equalists going?” asami asked softly, holding a warm bowl of five-flavored soup, letting it warm her. in her five long days in the southern water tribe, she hadn’t gotten used to the below freezing temperatures, especially when the sun disappeared below the icy glaciers. </p><p>lin looked up from her own bowl of soup, her face tensing back to what seemed to be her permanent scowl - at least, it seemed permanent before they’d arrived. now, sitting beside kya, lin typically looked more at ease, especially when she looked at the waterbender by her side. asami grimaced a little. damn, read the room much? she chastised herself mentally, wishing she’d kept her mouth shut so lin would’ve kept talking with kya. </p><p>“amon and his equalists have been… difficult, to say the least,” lin grumbled, stirring her  soup absentmindedly. out of the corner of her eye, she saw korra perk up a bit, listening intently all of a sudden. she tried not to let it bother her. </p><p>since korra’s outburst four days go, they had hardly interacted besides stiff, polite greetings at breakfast, then dinner. kanni hardly seemed tense around asami, but she still didn’t have a good read on them. but apparently, talk of the equalists interested korra enough to glance over at asami. she pretended not to notice. </p><p>“i heard something about them on the radio,” kanni spoke up, nudging korra with her elbow. korra nodded in agreement. </p><p>“yeah, they said they’d tried to attack the future industries warehouse again,” korra added quickly, before glancing at asami again, a brief flicker of panic in her eyes when she’d remembered that asami was literally right there. </p><p>lin’s scowl deepened. “yes, they did, but they hardly succeeded,” she replied quickly, her steely eyes resting on asami. </p><p>“you shouldn’t worry yourself with those matters, asami,” tenzin spoke from the opposite end of the table, sitting beside his mother. “you’re here to focus on learning waterbending, you don’t need to focus on anything but that.” </p><p>asami tried not to roll her eyes, so she just dropped them to her bowl, nodding unconvincingly. she wished more than anything that she was back home so she could defend future industries and take down the equalists, but she knew tenzin was at least half right. she had to focus on waterbending, which she had made very little progress in. </p><p>“don’t fret so much,” kya spoke up, a kind, almost carefree smile on her face. asami looked up, unable to stop herself from smiling back. “tomorrow, tenzin and i are gonna help you connect with your spiritual side. we think that may help you move past the block you’re at to learn waterbending. it’s gonna work out. just take it a day at a time.” </p><p>“thanks,” asami murmured softly, smiling sincerely at kya, definitely noticing how lin was gazing at her, too. she dropped her head a little to hide her smirk, but not before she saw korra and kanni grinning at lin and kya as well. </p><p>--</p><p>asami shifted her weight, grimacing when she realized her legs were both asleep, sending prickles up her whole body. she shimmied a little, trying to get her blood flowing again. </p><p>“asami. sit still,” tenzin murmured, and asami peeked an eye open to see him sitting in front of her with his eyes closed, legs folded, arms settled at his center just as asami sat. “eyes closed,” he added, though how he knew her eyes were open, she had no clue. she shut her eyes, trying to focus again. but how was she supposed to focus on emptying her mind? that seemed oxymoronic. </p><p>she sniffed, fighting a sneeze for a few seconds before she couldn’t help herself. she sneezed loudly, grunting afterwards and wiping her nose. she heard tenzin grunt and kya laugh. she opened her eyes again, groaning this time. </p><p>“this is going nowhere!” asami complained, raking her hands through her hair. “i don’t have the patience for this, and no matter what you say, i can’t just conjure it up!” </p><p>tenzin opened his mouth, about to reply with what asami could only assume to be another piece of good intentioned but unhelpful advice, when suddenly, footsteps sounded from behind them. asami and kya both turned, looking up to see lin approaching quickly.</p><p>“we need to talk. now,” lin spoke, her face drawn and her tone grim. asami sucked in a breath, and the three of them quickly stood, following lin from the small oasis they’d been meditating in towards senna and tonraq’s house. they ducked inside and made their way to the kitchen, where senna, tonraq, korra, and kanni already sat. the anxious pit in asami’s stomach only grew. </p><p>“what’s going on, lin?” tenzin asked as he sat, gazing at the earthbender with alarm clear in his eyes. </p><p>“the situation with the equalists is only getting worse. amon has begun taking the bending of anyone he can capture, including probenders, right at the stadium,” lin said, her entire demeanour having switched right back into cop-mode. “more non-benders are aligning with the equalists. everyday their movement grows stronger, and councilman tarrlock is demanding restraints that are only making it worse. the public is beginning to blame asami for the violence - yes, i know, tenzin, it’s not her fault. that doesn’t stop them from blaming her,” lin went on, cutting off tenzin before he could say something. </p><p>asami stood quickly, her hands balled into fists at her side. “i have to go back. there’s no choice anymore, i need to go and help in any way i can,” she said before anyone else could speak up. she tightened her brow, daring anyone to argue. </p><p>“i agree. your presence alone will placate a lot of people,” lin said, nodding. </p><p>“korra, kanni, and i can come, too,” kya spoke up suddenly, leaving everyone in the room looking shocked. kya rolled her eyes. “you all forget i can waterbend, too, apparently. between the three of us, we should be able to continue training asami. senna and tonraq can’t go, so this is the best option,” she added, shrugging nonchalantly. </p><p>asami dared a glance at korra, seeing she was pretty much just pouting. kanni, on the other hand, looked ecstatic. everyone’s eyes moved to tenzin, though lin looked like she couldn’t care what he said. </p><p>tenzin took a few more moments before he spoke, “okay. i think that’s a good plan. we should leave right away so we can get settled on air temple island and resume asami’s training.” </p><p>asami’s head was buzzing, and she sat down as more discussions began, revolving around too many things for her to keep track of. out of everything, she just felt scared. sure, she wanted to go home. she wanted to help. even though she wanted to help more than anything, how could she? what was she supposed to do, especially when she had to keep up with training? none of her training for any of the elements had prepared her for dealing with what seemed like a terrorist organization. </p><p>soon enough, everyone began standing, and those leaving drifted off to pack. asami slipped out of the house, her hands shaking. she was overwhelmed to the point she couldn’t really think straight, and she realized her vision was starting to get a little spotty, her breaths coming faster. </p><p>she hurried to her small hut, thankful it was on its own, and pushed inside. she sat heavily on the floor beside the bed, tears beginning to slip down her face. she buried her head in her hands, trying to catch her breath as her mind swirled with doubt, fear, anger… she couldn’t get a hold of herself. </p><p>“asami!” someone called, though they sounded like they were a mile away. “asami, hey, i’m right here,” the voice spoke again, closer this time. asami felt a pressure on her back, realizing it was someone’s hand. they began rubbing soothingly. “forget everything else. just breathe, okay? breathe. in and out.” the voice continued speaking, guiding asami in controlling her breath. at some point she realized it was korra speaking, but she didn’t care. </p><p>it was several minutes before asami was able to pull her hands away from her face, eyes blurry from the tears. she met korra’s eyes, surprised by the concern she found there. “why… why are you here?” asami whispered, feeling like she wouldn’t be able to manage much more volume without her voice cracking. </p><p>“i saw you rush off. you got all pale and stuff back at the table, so i wanted to make sure you were okay,” korra responded. she seemed to remember suddenly that her hand was on asami’s back, and she pulled away quickly, looking away. “you don’t have to tell me but… what’s wrong?” she asked then, her voice so much softer than asami ever thought it could be. </p><p>“i just… i got overwhelmed, i guess,” asami mumbled, shrugging her shoulders. a sudden want to express her feelings came over her, so she let herself share. “i saw him, amon. the day before i came here. the way he spoke was mesmerizing. it terrified me. and then he… he just took people’s bending. right in front of me. i… god, i’d never felt so scared. and now i somehow have to face him, to fix this problem? how the hell am i supposed to do that?” asami sniffled, wiping at her eyes with her sleeve. she let out a shaky breath, but her inhale felt stronger. </p><p>“i thought you wanted to go back?” korra asked gently, her blue eyes meeting asami’s once again. asami squirmed. </p><p>“i do. i have to,” asami replied, nodding her head to convince herself more. a wave of shame washed over her. this was not how she should be acting, especially not in front of someone else. she shook her head, angry that she’d let korra see that, angry that korra had even followed her in the first place. she stood suddenly, taking korra by surprise. </p><p>“thanks for the help, but i have to pack. you should, too,” asami said curtly, sniffling again. she turned her back on korra, grabbing her duffle bag and quickly stuffing her things inside. asami was tense, waiting impatiently for korra to take a hint. finally, she heard korra turn away and leave. as soon as asami heard the door close, her shoulders slumped, and she began crying again.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>finally getting back into writing. probably will continue posting at irregular time periods, but hopefully more frequently as school winds down. <br/>leave a comment and kudos! they make my day :D</p>
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